Alastair Campbell and John Prescott, the former Deputy Prime Minister, have
clashed on Twitter over who is the more influential.

The Labour bruisers rowed over claims made by Lord Prescott in a newspaper article that he has "a connection to millions of people" through Twitter, which he hailed as "our media."

Both men have sustained their public profiles after leaving office through the micro-blogging website.

Mr Campbell, Tony Blair's former director of communications, asked whether Lord Prescott would "rebut The Guardian saying you have millions of followers". The former Deputy Prime Minister has 132,000 followers.

Lord Prescott replied that if all his followers 're-tweet' his comments, "I connect with millions." He added: "That's why I regularly trend. And you don't."

&lt;noframe&gt;Twitter: John Prescott - .&lt;a href="http://www.twitter.com/campbellclaret" target="_blank"&gt;@campbellclaret&lt;/a&gt; If 130,000 RT what I say &amp;amp; that gets RTd by others, I connect with millions. That's why I regularly trend. And you don't ;)&lt;/noframe&gt;

Mr Campbell shot back: "At least you don't get me to write everything for you like old days."

He went on: "Trended most of Monday mate," adding that, at 148,850, he has almost 20,000 more followers. In a further jibe he added: "I don't have any of my sons advising me on Twitter strategy."

Lord Prescott replied: "If you advised me on Twitter strategy, tweets would consist of a) Burnley [Football Club] b) your new book c) how you hate the Mail!"

Mr Campbell retorted: "As opposed to a) I want to be a policeman b) Life is a tweet and c) I hate Tories ... (am with you on c) so d) vote Labour."

He concluded: "For the avoidance of doubt, and to aid the humourless and those struggling with irony detection, I love John Prescott."

Lord Prescott was given some of the most flattering treatment of all the New Labour in Mr Campbell's diaries of his time in Number 10, and was portrayed as a peacemaker who sought to curb the feuding between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.

One follower asked both men: "For God's sake. And who has the bigger willy?"